Teaching Them HOW to Learn Rather Than WHAT to Learn: Listening
VYLs (kids under 7) get the vast majority of what adults mean by observing and decoding non-verbal communication cues such as gestures, facial expressions, voice volume and tone, etc.
Getting meaning by decoding non-verbal communication cues is a listening skill we develop early on in life. But as we mature, we discover other ways to listen and the old ways get automatically incorporated in our communication system without our being aware of them anymore. Thus we come to understand people by relying only on our ears. We trust our ears to the point that what our ears don’t hear, we conclude we don’t understand. When giving instructions in class, it’s not uncommon for teachers to hear “我聽不懂英文” from students despite all the teacher’s efforts to convey the meaning through gestures and other cues. Such students have completely forgotten that they can actually understand the teacher without a single word from his part, by just decoding his gestures, facial expression and voice tone.
How do we practically help students regain that knowledge? One of the most effective ways in doing that is through mime games. Played over time, they help students become more aware of other people’s non-verbal communication cues and therefore, come to understand more than they thought themselves capable of. This state of sudden improvement in understanding will propel them into what I refer to as the Virtuous Circle of Language Learning. It’s a self-sustained circle that builds on the success and confidence boost of the learner.
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